ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Prime Minister's Office
Khadi is creating new records everyday: PM
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi said that association of the countrymen with Khadi is creating new records everyday along with promoting employment.
In a tweet Union Minister for MSME, Shri Narayan Rane informed that Khadi village industry is playing an important role in increasing the income of artisans by enhancing their skills.
He further added that from 01st April 2022 to 31st January 2023, KVIC produced a total of 77887.97 Cr, sold 108571.84 Cr and created 1.72 Cr employment.
In reply to the tweet by MSME Minister, the Prime Minister tweeted;
“ये उपलब्धियां उत्साहित करती हैं! खादी से देशवासियों का यह जुड़ाव रोजगार को बढ़ावा देने के साथ-साथ नित नए रिकॉर्ड बना रहा है।”
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
COVID-19 UPDATE
220.66 cr Total Vaccine doses  have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
487 doses administered in last 24 hours
India's Active caseload currently stands at 63,562
Active cases stand at 0.14%
Recovery Rate currently at 98.67%
8,175 recoveries in the last 24 hours increases Total Recoveries to 4,42,50,649
10,542 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours
Daily positivity rate 
Weekly Positivity Rate 
92.46 cr Total Tests conducted so far; 2,40,014 tests conducted in the last 24 hours
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
KVK, North Goa and ICAR-CCARI, Goa celebrates ‘World Bee Day’
Goa, 21 May 2021
ICAR- Krishi Vigyan Kendra, North Goa and ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute CARI, Goa, celebrated “World Bee Day” on 20th, May 2021. A one-day programme entitled ‘Augmenting rural income: The Beekeeping way’ was organized virtually at ICAR-CCARI Goa. Dr B L Kashinath, Principal Scientist and Head, KVK, North Goa, welcomed the guests and briefed about the training program. Dr Lakhan Singh, Director, ICAR-ATARI, Pune, Maharashtra was the Chief Guest of the programme. Dr Parveen Kumar, Director, ICAR-CCARI, Goa, explained the background of celebrating World Bee Day on May 20 every year from 2018 and onward. He explained that the United Nations Council accepted the proposal from Slovenia to celebrate 20th May, the birth anniversary of the pioneer of beekeeping Anton Jansa, from Slovenia, as World Bee Day. The purpose of observing World Bee Day is also to acknowledge the role of bees and other pollinators in the ecosystem. The programme was attended by 52 participants which included farmers, officials of the Directorate of Agriculture, scientists, subject matter specialists, technical staff of the KVK, North Goa and the ICAR-CCARI, Goa. Dr. Lakhan Singh, Director, ICAR-ATARI, Pune, Maharashtra explained the significance of beekeeping in augmenting the income of farmers. He briefed the success stories of beekeeping with the example of Madhushakti which is a start-up project initiated by 100 women in Pune for 2 years and now ventured into FPO with branding and marketing of honey and earning additional income to farming. He emphasized that the KVKs showcase beekeeping by having units on their campus for training and demonstration. He also urged a need to create network groups of beekeepers and provide common processing and marketing facilities to them.
In the technical session lectures on ‘Scientific Beekeeping for augmenting rural income’ by Mrs. Shishira Uttappa and ‘Meliponiculture - Beekeeping through stingless bees' by Shri. HRC Prabhu, Subject Matter Specialist  was delivered. These talks covered scientific bee-keeping husbandry practices, benefits, capital requirements, marketing, networking, branding and success stories of beekeeping and how to get maximum income Meliponiculture, etc. In the end, I conducted an interactive session with farmers and scientists.
Ministry of Culture
International Yoga Day celebrated by Ministry of Culture in Sarai Nurmahal, Jalandhar, Punjab
PM Shri Narendra Modi has given the message of connecting the world with the basic mantra of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' by taking Yoga to the international platform: Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal.
"Yoga is the union of body, mind, intellect, and soul," says Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, emphasizing its importance for strengthening the mind and maintaining a healthy body, as stated by the Union Minister.
The 'International Day of Yoga' was celebrated by the Archaeological Survey of India, Chandigarh Circle, under the Ministry of Culture at Sarai Nurmahal in Nakodar, Jalandhar district of Punjab. A 'Yoga Abhayas' was organized in the premises of Sarai Nurmahal, which comes under the Archaeological Survey of India. Union Minister of State for Law and Justice  and Parliamentary Affairs and Culture, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, attended the Yoga Day event as the Chief Guest and led the 9th International Yoga Day celebrations.
Addressing the programme, Union Minister Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal said, "The union of the soul and the divine takes place through yoga." He said that Yoga is also mentioned in the holy scripture ‘Gita’. He said that some people were apprehensive about taking this Indian practice to the international level because the world would consider us Orthodox, however, Shri Narendra Modi took Yoga to the international platform and explained to the world that it is a means to keep everyone healthy. He mentioned that the Prime Minister proposed to celebrate International Yoga Day on the platform of the United Nations, which not only gained consent from 170 countries but also presented proposals on Yoga on their behalf, and June 21 was fixed as International Yoga Day. Shri Meghwal said every Indian is filled with pride when the whole world practices Yoga. He added that Yoga has gained popularity globally today, and people of all age groups are taking advantage of it.
Union Minister Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal spoke about maintaining health through Yoga. He said that all the senses of the human body receive positive energy and can be activated by Yoga. Shri Meghwal said that the human mind is very fickle, and it can be strengthened through yoga. He said that winning of the mind leads to victory, and defeat of the mind leads to defeat. Talking about Yogasanas, he mentioned that just as the body becomes strong by doing some Asanas, the mind becomes strong by Pranayama, and the intellect starts thinking right, which eventually leads to connecting with the soul and becoming the best citizens. He said that the one who lives by uniting the body, mind, intellect, and soul is called a good person. Shri Meghwal said, "Yoga is the union of body, mind, intellect, and soul." At the end of the address, he congratulated everyone on the 'International Day of Yoga' and appealed to adopt yoga.
Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal also interacted with the people at the Nurmahal. On this occasion, Additional Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India, Prof. Alok Tripathi, Superintendent Archaeologist Mrs. K A Kabui, and other dignitaries were present.
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
Wheat procurement under central pool gathers momentum
Target of 400 LMT for the season likely to be achieved
FCI crossed the 2000 number in terms of train loads dispatched during lockdown
2087 train loads carrying about 58.44 Lakh MT food grains dispatched across the country
Procurement of wheat is progressing at a very fast pace in all major procuring states of the country. A quantity of 88.61 Lakh Metric Tonnes  wheat has already been procured for the central pool till 26.04.2020. Out of this, major contribution has been from Punjab with 48.27 LMT followed by Haryana with 19.07 LMT. Going by the present pace of procurement, the target of 400 LMT kept for the season is likely to be achieved. Considering the looming threat of spread of COVID-19 virus, procurement is being undertaken after taking enough pre-cautions and ensuring social distancing in the mandis. Every effort is being made to ensure that the farmers are not put to any kind of distress. Continuing the healthy pace of dispatch of food grains from surplus to consuming regions, Food Corporation of India  crossed the 2000 number in terms of train loads dispatched during lockdown period. Till 27.04.20, a total number of 2087 of train loads carrying about 58.44 Lakh MT were dispatched to meet the requirements of food grains under various schemes of government of India. Unloading of 1909 rakes carrying 53.47 LMT stocks was also done during this period, despite severe constraints posed due to declaration of hotspots and containment zones in many of the key unloading centres in consuming states. It is expected that with gradual easing of restrictions by central and state governments, the pace of unloading will be enhanced further in the coming days. Lifting of free food grains to be distributed @ 5 Kg/person for 3 months  under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana  is progressing well with UTs of Ladakh and Lakshadweep already completing lifting of full quota for 3 months. Another 7 states are lifting June month quota whereas 20 states are currently lifting May month quota. 8 states are lifting April month quota, which is expected to be completed by month end. FCI has made arrangements to position adequate stocks in all states to meet the requirements. In the case of West Bengal, where additional allocation for 3 months is about 9 Lakh MT, plans have already been drawn to move about 227 train loads of rice to various parts of the state concurrently from 4 states i.e. Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha to West Bengal to ensure availability of sufficient food grains in a short span of time.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
President of India presents Sports and Adventure Awards 2021
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, presented the Sports and Adventure Awards 2021  at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan today . Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports Shri Anurag Thakur, Union Minister for Law & Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju, Secretary of Department of Youth Affairs Ms. Usha Sharma, Secretary of Department of Sports Ms. Sujata Chaturvedi and other senior officers of the Ministry were also present on this occasion.
Kindly click for the details of Awardees
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs 
Cabinet approves strategic disinvestment of CPSEs.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has accorded 'In-principle' approval for strategic disinvestment in select CPSEs as per the details below:
 Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. 
 Strategic disinvestment of Government of India shareholding of 53.29% in Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd  and management control thereon) along with transfer of management control to a strategic buyer.
 Strategic disinvestment of BPCL's shareholding of 61.65% in NRL along with transfer of management control to a Central Public Sector Enterprise  operating in the Oil and Gas Sector.
 Shipping Corporation of India Ltd. 
Strategic disinvestment of Government of India shareholding of 63.75% in Shipping Corporation of India Ltd along with transfer of management control to a strategic buyer.
 Container Corporation of India Ltd. 
Strategic disinvestment of Government of India shareholding of 30.8%  along with transfer of management control to a strategic buyer.
 Tehri Hydro Development Corporation India Limited 
Strategic disinvestment of Government of India shareholding of 74.23% in THDCIL along with transfer of management control to an identified CPSE strategic buyer, namely, NTPC.
 North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited 
Strategic disinvestment of Government of India shareholding of 100% in NEEPCO along with transfer of management control to an identified CPSE strategic buyer, namely, NTPC.
Strategic disinvestment of CPSEs will be undertaken through already established procedure and mechanism.
Benefits:
The resources unlocked by the strategic disinvestment of these CPSEs would be used to finance the social sector/developmental programmes of the Government benefiting the public. The unlocked resources would form part of the budget and the usage would come to scrutiny of the public. It is expected that the strategic buyer/ acquirer may bring in new management/technology/investment for the growth of these companies and may use innovative methods for their development.
Background:
In 2015, the Government reinitiated the policy of strategic disinvestment in order to open up sectors for private enterprise to bring efficiency in management that would contribute to general economic development. Finance Minister, in her budget speech of 2019, had also announced that in view of current macroeconomic parameters, more CPSEs will be offered for strategic disinvestment. Strategic Disinvestment is guided by the basic economic principle that the Government should discontinue its engagement in manufacturing/producing goods and services in sectors where the competitive markets have come of age, and such entities would most likely perform better in the private hands due to various factors e.g. technology up-gradation and efficient management practices; and would thus add to the GDP of the country.
Ministry of Defence
500-bed COVID Care hospital set up by DRDO inaugurated in Haldwani, Uttarakhand
A 500-bed COVID Care Hospital set up by Defence Research and Development Organisation  in Haldwani was virtually inaugurated by Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Shri Tirath Singh Rawat on June 02, 2021. This facility comprises 375 oxygen beds and 125 ICU beds with ventilators. With 100 per cent power backup, it is centrally air conditioned for all weather conditions. Pathology laboratory, Pharmacy, X-Ray and ECG etc. are inherent part of the facility. The Centre will become fully operational from June 03, 2021.
A control centre with Wi-Fi, CCTVs and helpline number has also been established for proper monitoring and hospital management through modern system software. Doctors and nursing staff to run the facility would be provided by co-located Government Medical College, Haldwani.
This hospital, which has been built in 21 days, is the result of the efforts of the workforce of 350 persons who worked relentlessly round the clock under adverse weather conditions. This time-bound challenging task involved coordination among various government agencies and arranging mammoth quantity of stores amidst countrywide lockdown. Ample measures have been taken in design and functioning of the hospital to meet any unforeseen challenges in future. Mandatory fire safety norms have been ensured with fire detection alarm system, fire hydrants, and fire-fighting equipment.
In the present COVID situation, this COVID Care Centre will be an invaluable asset for the people of Uttarakhand, providing timely essential medical care during the pandemic. It has been dedicated and named after late General Bipin Chandra Joshi who belonged to Uttarakhand and was the 17th Chief of Indian Army.
Member of Parliament Dr Ajay Bhatt, Minister in Uttarakhand Government Shri Bansidhar Bhagat, Leader of Opposition, Uttarakhand Dr Indira Hridayesh and senior officials of DRDO& state government were present on the occasion.
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh has lauded DRDO for its continuous timely assistance during this pandemic. Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy appreciated the relentless efforts of the team involved in the task and thanked the Uttarakhand Government for the support.
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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Dr Harsh Vardhan digitally addresses FSSAI’s World Food Safety Day Event
“Food borne diseases is a growing concern, costing us almost 15 billion USD annually”
Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfarevirtually attended the Word Food Safety Day celebrations today organized by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India . The day is celebrated worldwide to draw attention to the fact that food is not only an agricultural or trade commodity but is also a public health issue.
At the outset, The Minister noted that the call to action for all key stakeholders on this year's World Food Safety Day is to ensure that the food we eat is safe and nutritious.
Explaining his comment, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said, “Food safety must be integrated along the entire food chain, from farm to table, with the three sectors — government, industry and consumers — with all the three sharing equal responsibility. It is also necessary that food safety forms an essential component of health-based nutrition policies and nutrition education. We aim to inspire action to help prevent, detect and manage foodborne risk and by doing so we shall be contributing towards food security, human health, economic prosperity, market access and sustainable development.”
To bring home the point that Food safety is one of the determinants of a sound and cohesive healthcare system in a country, he stated: “As food chains become longer, complex and globalized, contamination of food leading to food borne diseases is a growing concern, costing us almost 15 billion USD annually. By 2030, food borne diseases are expected to rise to 150 to 177 million annually.”
With the resurgence of COVID-19 across the globe, there is a sharpened focus on safe food, nutrition, immunity and sustainability. In this regard, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said, “It has become all the more important to focus on preventive healthcare as it minimizes the burden of diseases and helps in tackling the rising burden of diet-related diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity and malnutrition.”
Improving food safety requires sustained investments in several areas, from stronger regulations, to better laboratories for testing of food, more stringent enforcement of the regulations at the ground level, and surveillance along with training and capacity building of food handlers. The minister highlightedthat the government’s flagship initiative ‘Eat Right India’ needs to be turned into a national movement in order to transform the food ecosystem of the country by ensuring safe, healthy and sustainable food for everyone.
“This year’s World Food Safety Day theme – ‘Safe Food for a healthy tomorrow’, highlights that the production and consumption of safe food has immediate and long-term benefits for people, the planet and the economy,” he stated.
The Minister ended his speech inviting everybody present to take a pledge to share the responsibility of food safety and address the issues associated with it holistically.
The whole address can be viewed at https://youtu.be/P6sKME3H3pg
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
NHAI Settles 60 Conciliation Cases in FY 2021-22
Keeping its commitment to provide speedy resolution of disputes with contractors/concessionaires through conciliation, NHAI has settled 60 cases for Rs. 4,076 crore against the claimed amount of Rs. 14,590 crore during FY 2021-22. The authority resolved these cases with a settlement amount that was about 28 percent of the total claimed amount. Last year, NHAI settled 60 cases for Rs. 5,313 crore against the claimed amount of Rs. 14,207 crore.
In its endeavor for faster settlement of claims through conciliation and reduce liabilities thereby, National Highways Authority of India  has rigorously started the process of conciliation by constituting three Conciliation Committees of Independent Experts  of three members each. These Conciliation Committees are being headed by retired officials from the judiciary, senior experts from public administration, finance and from private sector.
Till date, out of 251 cases that have been referred to CCIE , out of which 155 cases of claims by contractors and concessionaires worth Rs. 38,747 crores have been successfully settled for an amount of Rs. 13,067 crore.
- addition to the CCIE, NHAI has setup Dispute Resolution Board  which helps in getting firsthand information on site activities and resolving the dispute before it escalates to arbitration/court. Under this mechanism, a three-member board is constituted who visit the project site as and when required or at least six times in a year. So far, 97 DRBs have been constituted to help solve disputes and mitigate issues pertaining to different projects.
While CCIE have led to a significant increase in the number of settlement cases, DRBs help in resolving the disputes at an early stage or in giving factual position of site which makes job of conciliation/ arbitration/ court easy. These measures have proved to be a win-win situation for both NHAI and its concessionaires/ contractors/ consultants. Besides reducing legal hassles, these have helped in saving legal expenses and resulted in faster execution of the projects.
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
ZSI Andaman & Nicobar Regional Centre Initiates Study to Monitor Breeding Population of Leatherback Sea Turtles
Kolkata, April 28, 2022
Zoological Survey of India , Andaman and Nicobar Regional Centre has initiated study to monitoring the breeding population Leatherback Sea Turtles from 2021-2022 with the following objectives; to document some aspects of the ecology and the reproductive biology of a nesting population of leatherback turtles in Nicobar group of islands; study the morphometrics of eggs, hatchlings, and mature females; nesting behaviour; hatching success; and estimating body mass of leatherback turtles or Dermochelys coriacea. Total of 152 Leatherback Sea turtles have been tagged during this breeding season, and collected morphometric measurements of eggs and adults. This has been informed by Dr Dhriti Banerjee, Director, ZSI today.
According to Dr Chandrakasan Sivaperuman, Scientist-E & Officer-in-Charge, ZSI, Andaman and Nicobar Regional, Port Blair stated that the number of nestings, eggs laid and number of hatchlings has been increasing over the past four years. The number of hatchlings increased at a rate of 21% from 2018 to 2019, while it increased at a rate of 147 % from 2019 to 2020. In the current status, the number of nesting and egg laying has been increased.
The nesting population has the potential to recover from disturbance resulting from the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, as all human settlements have gone and the region is, therefore, free of anthropogenic predation and light pollution which might affect nesting turtles. However, the populations of this species have increased in Galathea Bay, situated in the island of Great Nicobar of the Nicobar Islands.
It is to be mentioned that the leatherback is the largest of all living turtles. India and Sri Lanka are the only places in South Asia with large nesting populations. Great Nicobar, the southern-most and the largest in the group, supports this sea turtle, with a high abundance of leatherback nests. Large numbers of nesting have been recorded mainly on the long and wide beaches at the mouth of the Dagmar and Alexandera River on the west coast and at the mouth of the Galathea Bay along its south eastern coast.
The leatherback nesting population in the Nicobar is one of the four colonies that exceeds 1000 individuals in the Indo-Pacific, and hence of global significance. The southern bay of Great Nicobar is Southeast Asia’s largest leatherback turtle nesting site.
According to available literature, in Galathea Beach, a total of 255 nests were monitored and estimated that 114 individuals nested during the season between November 2003 and February 2004 and during November 2004, 137 leatherbacks were encountered with 84 nesting. During the last three breeding season i.e., an average of 450 nesting was observed in Galathea Bay, stated Dr Sivaperuman.